Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Highlights: India's Quest For Olympic Glory Begins

Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1 India Full Schedule

BADMINTON

*Men's singles group match: Lakshya Sen vs Kevin Cordon (Guatemala) (7:10 pm IST)

*Men's doubles group match: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar (France) (8 pm IST).

*Women's doubles group match: Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto vs Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong (Korea) (11:50 pm IST)

BOXING

*Women's 54kg opening round bout: Preeti Pawar vs Thi Kim anh Vo (Vietnam) (12.05 am on Jan 28).

MEN'S HOCKEY

*Pool B match: India vs New Zealand (9 pm IST)

ROWING

*Men's single sculls: Panwar Balraj (12:30 pm IST)

TABLE TENNIS

*Men's singles preliminary round: Harmeet Desai vs Zaid Abo Yaman of Jordan (7:15 pm IST)

TENNIS

*Men's doubles first-round match: Rohan Bopnna and N Sriram Balaji vs Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Fabien Reboul (France) (3:30 pm IST)

SHOOTING

*10m air rifle mixed team qualification: Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan, Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal (12:30 pm IST).

* Mixed team 10m air rifle medal rounds - 2:00 PM onwards (If India qualify)

*10m air pistol men's qualification: Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh (2 pm IST).

*10m air pistol women's qualification: Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan (4 pm IST).

1. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, opened the Paris Olympics.
2. On a soggy evening, a light display from the Eiffel Tower stole the show, captivating millions of fans worldwide in addition to the more than 6000 competitors.
3. On the Seine River, there was a Parade of Nations that floated. Sharath Kamal and PV Sindhu carried the Indian flag. The Indian delegation at the Parade of Nations consisted of 78 athletes and officials.
4. Nadia Comaneci, Carl Lewis, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams arrived in France to create an incredible cauldron-lighting ceremony.
5. The Olympic flag was carried by a charging horse and raised in the city center.
6. After 1996 in Atlanta, Celine Dione returned to the Olympic stage for a second performance. The opening ceremony began with pop singer Lady Gaga singing a French song, to which she earned one of the loudest applause of the day. 
7. The historic march honoring ten French women heroes was held at the Paris Olympics. 
8. Aya Nakamura, a well-known French pop diva, had an incredible performance.

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony officially comes to a close.

Here is India's Schedule for July 27:

India's honourary Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has sent his best wishes to Indian Contingent ahead of the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics 2024. READ FULL STORY HERE

The Paris Olympics 2024 have officially kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony over River Seine as the 206 Nations were unveiled on boats with the Eiffel Tower in the background. READ FULL STORY HERE

The Indian contingent made a grand entry into the Parade of Nations at the Paris Olympics 2024, marking a vibrant start to the Games. As the opening ceremony unfolded along the Seine River, India's athletes and officials showcased their unity and pride, parading through the streets of Paris with enthusiasm.  READ FULL STORY HERE

The Canadian singer, born in Quebec, takes to the mic below the Eiffel Tower as attention returns to the Trocadero.

Star performer and the iconic Celine Dione makes a grand and powerful entry as she lights up the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic Rings with her powerful vocals

Olympic torch lit and floating into the Paris sky via air ballon. Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, have light up the Olympic Cauldron

Mauresmo and Parker handed off to a trio of French para-athletes, including Nantenin Keïta, who is the daughter of famed Mali musician Salif Keita. A series of handoffs followed to more than a dozen French athletes.

Ex-French basketball player and NBA star Tony Parker takes over the torch in front of the Louvre.

Amelie Mauresmo, Tony Parker bring the iconic Olympic Torch to the Louvre

The Olympic torch has finally finishes its journey

Carl Lewis, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Nadia Comaneci carry the Olympic torch on a boat ride as they cruise through the Seine

Nadal marches with Olympic torch and is accompanied by a stellar light show

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: It is time for the hosts to make an entrance and France haven't disappointed their fans even one bit.

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Led by NBA sensation LeBron James and Tennis star Coco Gauff, team USA make a stylish entry

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Serbia's contingent arrives amid loud cheers but Novak Djokovic is nowhere to be seen

Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony Live Updates: Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania have now arrived in style in their floating parades. They are being complemented with dance performances, light and water shows

Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony Live Updates: The much awaited moment is here as the Indian Contingent has finally made its entrance over River Seine. The 117 man Indian Contingent makes its entrance onto the scene led by Flag Bearers PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal. 

Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony Live Updates: Who else other than France's biggest sporting icon in Zinedine Zidane to get the party started at the Olympics as the Summer Games marks its return to the 'City Of Lights' after 100 years. Zinedine Zidane became the last torch bearer as the Olympic torch makes its way to Seine. 

Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony Live Updates: India will march at the 84th spot, but here are a few glimpses of our athletes.

Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony Live Updates: Athletes from South Africa, Angola and Argentina make their way through the Seine and are all smiles as they greet the crowd.

Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony Live Updates: Lady Gaga sets the kickoff event on fire with a special performance.

Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony Live Updates: Athletes from Greece make their way as they are the first hosts of the mordern Olympics, followed by the IOC refugee team

Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony Live Updates:  Spectacular fireworks go on as the Olympic Torch makes it way through the river Siene

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Live: King James is all set for the Paris Olympics as he is suited up and ready for the opening ceremony. LeBron James will become the first male basketball player to be the flag bearer for Team USA at the Olympics. 

Britain: Helen Glover, rowing (two-time gold medalist in the coxless pair) and Tom Daley, diving (Tokyo gold medalist in 10-meter synchronized diving and owner of three Olympic bronzes)

Canada: Maude Charron, weightlifting (Tokyo gold medalist in the 64-kilogram category) and Andre de Grasse, athletics (Tokyo gold medalist at 200 meters)

China: Ma Long, table tennis (five-time gold medalist) and Feng Yu, artistic swimming

Eritrea: Biniam Girmay, cycling (first Black rider to win a Tour de France stage) and Christina Rach, swimming (16 years old)

France: Melina Robert-Michon, athletics (discus), Florent Manaudou, swimming (London gold medalist in the 50-meter freestyle and three-time Olympic silver medalist)

Greece: Antigoni Ntrismpioti, athletics (race walker) and Giannis Antetokounmpo, basketball (two-time NBA MVP, 2021 NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks)

Puerto Rico: Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, athletics (Tokyo gold medalist in the 100-meter hurdles) and Sebastian Rivera, wrestling

Qatar: Shahd Ashraf, athletics (women’s 100 meters) and Mutaz Barshim, athletics (Tokyo co-gold medalist in the high jump with Gianmarco Tamberi, who is one of Italy's flag bearers)

Refugee Team: Yahya Al Ghotany, taekwondo (born in Syria) and Cindy Ngamba, boxing (born in Cameroon)

Ukraine: Elina Svitolina, tennis (Tokyo bronze medalist in women's singles and three-time Grand Slam semifinalist) and Mykhailo Romanchuk, swimmer (Tokyo silver medalist in the 1,500-meter freestyle and bronze medalist in the 800-meter freestyle)

United States: Coco Gauff, tennis (U.S. Open singles champion, French Open champion doubles champion) and LeBron James, basketball (four-time NBA MVP, four-time NBA champion, career scoring leader).

Much ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics, former Indian cricketer and the stalwart of the sport, Sachin Tendulkar has shared a special message for the 117 athlete strong Indian contingency.
 

Watch the video here

The iconic Celine Dione is rumoured to be a star performer at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer recently shared a post where she is seen surrounded by her fans in Paris.

US Basketball player LeBron James becomes the first male US athlete to  bear the national flag at the Olympic ceremony.

A male judoka from Iraq tested positive for two anabolic steroids at the Paris Olympics, the International Testing Agency said Friday. Sajjad Sehen, a 28-year-old first-time Olympian, tested positive for metandienone and boldenone in a sample taken in Paris on Tuesday. He was due to compete next Tuesday. Click here for more updates

• The first few events of the Paris Olympics started a day prior to the opening ceremony of the games
• This is the first time that the opening ceremony will not be held in a stadium. The participating athletes will arrive via boat and cruise down the Seine, passing by historic Paris landmarks, including the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral and the Louvre.
• Lady Gaga and Céline Dion are rumored to be among the star performers.
• Read more of Republic World's coverage of the Paris Olympics and the athletes competing in Paris so that you don't miss a beat

Just hours before the opening ceremony, two trains carrying athletes en route to Paris were stopped after saboteurs targeted the Olympics 2024. Read more about it

Police officers in flak jackets wandered the shores of the Seine as people on Olympic floats practiced for their big debut in the opening ceremonies.

Streets, brimming with police vehicles, were blocked off with multiple layers of security and bag checks. French authorities appeared on high alert for a potential threat in an event set during a moment of larger global tensions.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that sabotage and arson that hit key parts of France’s high speed rail network on the eve of the Olympics had “a clear objective: blocking the high-speed train network.”

He said the vandals strategically targeted the main routes from the north, east and west toward Paris, hours before the city hosts the Olympics opening ceremony.

Organizers say 9.7 million tickets were sold or allocated for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 8.7 million sold for the former and 1 million for the latter.

Two trains carrying Olympic athletes to Paris on the western Atlantique line were stopped hours before the opening ceremony. One train was canceled, and authorities hope the other will become operational.

Snoop Dogg has been added in Paris 2024 torchbearer to that list. He carried the Olympic flame in an area next to the Stade de France stadium in the northern Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.

Here's the link to the full story: https://www.republicworld.com/sports/paris-olympics/paris-olympics-2024-snoop-dogg-carries-olympic-torch-ahead-of-opening-ceremony-in-french-capital

About 45,000 security force members will be deployed and the airspace and all airports within a 150-kilometer (90-mile) radius around Paris will be closed for the extravaganza.

French PM says rail attacks targeted three main routes to Paris and aimed to 'block the high-speed train network.'

While details continue to emerge about the massive disruption to France's high-speed rail network, the identity and motivation of the perpetrators remain unknown.

French security forces are hunting people behind arson attacks that hobbled the country's high-speed rail network hours before the Olympic Games opening ceremony, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said. "Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilised to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts," Attal posted on X, calling the attacks "prepared and coordinated acts of sabotage against (rail operator) SNCF's installations" with "huge and serious consequences for the rail network".

An airport located at the Swiss-French border was evacuated on Friday for security reasons, hours after arson attacks disrupted the French rail network ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony. "For safety reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed," the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport said on its website.
 

As per reports, the attacks on installations along the railway lines have cut off Paris with the country's west, north and east. State-owned railway operator announces route diversions "at least all weekend".

As per reports, most services from Paris' Gare du Nord, one of Europe’s busiest train stations, to northern France, Belgium and the UK are delayed.

The French national rail company SNCF said that areas affecting rail track intersections were intentionally targeted by the arsonists in the overnight attacks to double the impact.

“For one fire, two destinations were hit,” the company’s CEO, Jean-Pierre Farandou.

It was “a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack” that indicates “a desire to seriously harm” the French people, Farandou said. The attack occurred against a backdrop of global tensions and heightened security measures as the city prepared for the 2024 Olympic Games. Many travelers were planning to converge on the capital for the opening ceremony, and many vacationers were also in transit.

Hours away from the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics, high-speed rail traffic to the French capital was severely disrupted on Friday by what officials described as “criminal actions” and sabotage.

The incidents paralyzed several high-speed lines linking Paris to the rest of France and to neighboring countries, according to Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete.

Speaking on BFM television, Vergriete described people fleeing from the scene of fires and the discovery of incendiary devices at the site. “Everything indicates that these are criminal fires,” he said.

In India, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony will live telecast on Sports18 and it will simultaneously live stream on Jio Cinema app and website.

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 PM local time, which will translate into 11 PM IST.

The day that the world was waiting for has finally arrived. Paris Olympics will be called open today in the opening ceremony scheduled to start later in the day. Two weeks of non-stop action is set to take over. Hence, history will be made in Paris. The republicworld.com will be present every day for the next two weeks with a day long live blog. So, wherever you are and wherever you go, you can track the Paris Olympics updates here. Let's witness history in the making together, let's back the Indian athletes, who will be present at the opening ceremony today.